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Scouter
Scouters (スカウター, Sukautā; called "Tracker" or "Meter" in the Mexican version) are devices that measure power levels in Dragon Ball Z. Overview Description In the series, a scouter's primary purpose is to calculate the individual power level or ki concentration of biological characters by converting the readings into numbers. It is never explained what units of measure are used to read ki levels; Akira Toriyama simply stated in an interview that it couldn't be done by conventional means. with a red scouter]] Scouters also serve the purpose of gathering information, and for interstellar communication, as seen when Raditz sent Piccolo's description of the Dragon Balls to Nappa and Vegeta. Vegeta also used his scouter to keep track of the time after he said he and Nappa would give the Z Fighters three hours for Goku to arrive. Scouters can also tell the location of someone, as demonstrated when members of the World Trade Organization use scouters to hunt down enemies. A scouter appears as a semi-transparent colored monocle that covers the left eye. The first scouter to be seen is the one Raditz wears in the first episode of Dragon Ball Z upon his arrival on Earth. The power level is given as a number without any units of measurement (5 for the farmer, 334 for Goku before he took his heavy clothes off, etc). It is believed that if one is putting out an enourmous amount of power it will explode as seen during the Saiyan Saga and Namek Saga. It is unknown what the color of the scouter means. The most frequently seen color is green, which is suggested to be a standard model, while alternate colors such as blue, red, and purple are suggested to be upgraded models. However, Zarbon's blue scouter broke after escalating to a reading of 22,000, while Dodoria's green scouter was suggested to be newer as it read a power level of 24,000 without exploding. It is possible that the colors may be attributed to the capacity of power each can read. It is also a possibility that the colors serve merely as a decoration. Limitations 's blue scouter]] Though it is possible to sense others' ki without advanced machinery, as the Z Fighters do, scouters provide the ability to read power levels to less-trained fighters. Scouters do have some disadvantages, however. Their main drawback is that a trained person is capable of consciously lowering their ki (see Power Up), and can therefore fool scouter users into thinking they have a lower power level than their real level. Vegeta speculates that is how Raditz was killed. Another disadvantage is that scouters may explode on certain conditions. The reason for this is not mentioned explicitly in the anime or the manga, but the recorded cases have happened when the scouter is detecting a high power level or when a power level is rapidly increasing, possibly overloading it. Dodoria suggested that it was a problem with older scouter models. Older models (such as Raditz's and Zarbon's) seem to explode when reading levels between 21,000 and 22,000. Newer models (such as Dodoria's and the ones used by the Ginyu Force) can read higher power levels without problems, at least up to 180,000, though their limits are not known. According to Daizenshuu 7, there are only two generations of scouters. The first generation ones explode when reading a power level over 22,000, something that is corrected in the improved second generation scouters. An example of scouters exploding while someones power level is rising rapidly would be that which occured to Bulma's (formerly Raditz') scouter when Goku was fighting Vegeta for the first time. The explosion took place around the time that Goku had used the Kaio-ken time 3, causing his power level to rise at an incredible rate and thus overloading the scouter. It is also possible for scouters to give inaccurate readings, since Raditz believed his to be giving incorrect signals and going haywire when it read Gohan's power level at 710 (in that case, the reading was accurate). History According to the anime, scouters were originally been invented by the Tuffles until the Saiyans exterminated them and stole their technology. From the Saiyans, scouters were introduced to Frieza's forces. During the series, almost all of Frieza's soldiers can be seen wearing one. Bardock's scouter Bardock's scouter was used to locate his team (Tora, Shugesh, Borgos and Fasha) on Planet Meat. After discovering his slain commrades, Bardock's scouters locates the group responsible. After Bardock slays the group, his scouter detects Dodoria who Mouth Blasts Bardock away, damaging the Saiyan and destroying his scouter. Bardock's Elite's scouters All four members of Bardock's Elite (Tora, Shugesh, Borgos and Fasha) wore scouters. All of their scouters were destroyed during the assault made on Bardock's Elite by Dodoria and his team. Raditz's scouter Raditz's scouter was constantly used upon his arrival on Earth. Raditz used his scouter to see the power levels of a Farmer, Piccolo and finally Goku. During his fight with Goku and Piccolo, Raditz went by his scouter's power readings, causing him to underestimate them. After being delt a fatal blow, Raditz used his Scouter to transmits Piccolo's desciption of the Dragon Balls back to Vegeta and Nappa. After Raditz's death, Bulma took possession of his scouter from his corpse. Though it had been damaged slightly, it took her a single night to repair it and even switch it over to Earth's numeric system. With her repairs and modifications, she tested it out by reading the power levels of Master Roshi and Krillin (as well as Turtle in the anime) and also used it to locate Yamcha and Tien Shinhan. The scouter remained in Bulma's possession up to Goku's fight with Vegeta when Bulma used it to read Goku's power level, which was rising too fast due to Goku's using the three-fold Kaio-ken in order to match Vegeta. It was the first scouter to blow up. Nappa's scouter Nappa's scouter was the one that was transmitted the information about the Dragon Balls from Raditz's scouter. After arriving to Earth, Nappa used his scouter to locate Krillin, Piccolo, Gohan, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu. Just they were about to fight, Vegeta suggested to Nappa that they remove the scouters as they didn't want underestimate their opponents like Raditz did. Nappa dropped his scouter to the floor and it was presumably destroyed from all the explosions caused by Nappa against the Z Fighters. Vegeta's scouter Vegeta's scouter was the one that was transmitted the information about the Dragon Balls from Raditz's scouter. After arriving to Earth, Vegeta used his scouter to locate the Z Fighters. Just when Goku was arriving, Vegeta used his scouter to see Goku's strength. Vegeta also used it during Goku's charging up, to which Vegeta responded by crushing his scouter in shock of Goku's power. After Vegeta recovered on Planet Frieza 79, he reluctantly took possesion of another scouter. After landing on Planet Namek, Vegeta used it to converse with Cui and eavesdrop on Frieza. After encountering Dodoria, Vegeta destroyed his scouter, as he could sense power levels just like the Z Fighters can, to keep Dodoria from actually acquiring one during their fight. Cui's scouter Cui's scouter has always remained on him. After landing on Namek, Cui used his scouter to track and converce with Vegeta. When the unknowing Cui used his scouter to read Vegeta's power level (24,000), it was much than he had previously believed, causing his scouter to explode. Zarbon's scouter Zarbon's scouter has always remained on him even since when Frieza contemplated destroying Planet Vegeta. When on Planet Namek, Zarbon's scouter broke after escalating Vegeta's power level during the latter's fight with Cui. Dodoria's scouter Dodoria's scouter has always remained on him even since when Frieza contemplated destroying Planet Vegeta. When on Planet Namek, Dodoria's scouter (a newer one) was used to read Vegeta's power level when the latter fought Cui. Dodoria used his scouter to measure the power level of several Namekians (although he didn't take into account that they hide their real power levels). Dodoria's scouter was destroyed by Moori's Finger Beam in order to prevent them from finding more Dragon Balls. Ginyu Force's scouters The Ginyu Force's scouters are the newer models used by the self proclamed elites. For unknown reasons, Guldo never wore a scouter, This is probably due to Guldo's extra eyes are in the way. Recoome's scouter was never used and was knocked off him during Vegeta's attack on the Ginyu Force member. Jeice's scouter was used to contact Burter's scouter during their fight with Goku (who briefly raised his power level quick enough that even the newer scouters couldn't detect it), ending with Goku beating Burter while his scouter falls off the elite. Captain Ginyu's scouter was used measure Goku's max power (180,000), which surpassed Ginyu's power (120,000). After switching bodies, Ginyu (in Goku's body) wore his scouter. Jeice used his scouter to measure Ginyu's strength while in Goku's body and Vegeta's power level, the latter of which caused Jeice to crush his scouter in disbelief. When Ginyu (in Goku's body) fought Gohan, Krillin and even Goku (in Ginyu's body), Ginyu's scouter was knocked off him during the fight. Frieza's scouter Frieza's scouter was a newer model that was personally given to him by the Ginyu Force. Frieza used his scouter to find Guru's home. When Frieza personally fought Nail, Frieza's scouter measured the lone Namekian's power level (42,000), which somewhat impressed the Emperor. After having severely beaten up Nail, Frieza uses his scouter to contact the Ginyu Force, only to find out they're all defeated. When Frieza attacked Vegeta, Gohan, Krillin and Dende, Frieza used his scouter to measure Vegeta while the former attacked the latter, ending the conflict when Frieza's scouter blew up much to Frieza's disbelief. King Cold soldiers' scouters Although neither King Cold nor Mecha-Frieza wore a scouter, their soldiers wore the devices. After a mysterious youth arrived, a foot soldier used his scouter to measure the youth's (supressed) power level, which the youth quickly raised to kill the soldier and then used his sword to kill the rest of the army sans one soldier that was untouched by the sword but his scouter was cut in half only to by killed by Mecha-Frieza seconds later. Evolved concept After the arrival of Future Trunks, Androids 16, 19, and 20 can be observed to possess a device that calculates and locates power levels like scouters once did. (These devices also had the merit of not malfunctioning when an enormous power was detected.) However, it is unknown whether or not they calculate power levels with the same units of measure (they probably use an Earth-based numeric system). During the World Tournament Saga, the World Martial Arts Tournament had developed a punching machine that would measure the strength of the fighters' punches (apparently in units of force) to replace the preliminaries in order to reduce injuries; this machine served the same purpose that a scouter would serve if they were used by the Tournament. It is also worth noting that Mr. Satan scored 137 on this machine, further emphasizing the fact that he is a genuinely skilled martial artist when not compared to the Z Fighters, since, if the units were the same used by scouters, he would be only two points below Master Roshi in his prime. During the Majin Buu Saga, the wizard Babidi can be seen to have a device called Power Meter that calculates kili levels. However, the units of measure are much larger, being that Full-Power Super Saiyan Goku's level was calculated to be around 3,000 kilis (and 300 killis was enough to destroy a planet). The device was also used to measure the unusual power of Super Saiyan 2 Gohan at the World Martial Arts Tournament when he powered up in front of Kibito, though his power level was never stated. Video games and Trunks locked by Abo/Kado's scouter]] Scouters often appear in Dragon Ball Z video games. In many ways, scouters could be considered a signature part of Dragon Ball Z, hence their constant presence in Dragon Ball Z video games and other media. In fighting games, they often appear on screen representing a health or energy bar. This trend can be seen in both Dragon Ball Z: Budokai and Dragon Ball Z: Super Sonic Warriors. Also, in Super Sonic Warriors after the end of fight, a scouter is used to calculate the player's score. In Budokai 3, in the game's story mode, scouters are used by characters like Prince Vegeta. In the Budokai Tenkaichi series, some characters (like Bardock, Raditz and Nappa) have a special type of lock-on they can use to detect an opponent even if they are hidden behind an object. However, if the user receives too much damage, their scouter is destroyed, and their lock-on suffers as a result (This is similar to what is seen in the manga and anime). In Dragon Ball Z: Sagas, the scouter is used to represent the game's menu screens, and interestingly, it shows the power level of all the game's boss characters before they are fought (even characters like Frieza and Cell). In The Legacy of Goku II, (which is set after the Garlic Junior Saga), a scouter can be obtained from Bulma after obtaining the electronic parts she needs to build it (a scouter model created by her, likely based on the scouter she obtained from Raditz's body, although dialogue states she found it on Namek). Once obtained, her scouter can be used for the rest of the game. Bulma's scouter can be used to scan enemies, allies, neutral characters and animals. The scouter will give information about any character scanned by it (hit points, height and weight and character scan-bio). It also has a handy map feature, and at the near the end of the game, it can be upgraded (by Bulma) to work as a Dragon Radar. Also, all of the scouter's scanned information can be transferred and stored on a computer inside the Capsule Corporation. This computer can be used to view information on any character that has been previously scanned. Bulma's scouter reappears in the follow-up game Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury, where it's available at the start of the game. In Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans, a scouter is obtained after Raditz is defeated, and Bulma repairs the scouter. It shows the Power Level, the items the opponent can drop, the strengths and weaknesses, and the experience obtained. In Dragon Ball Online, a video of the games opening character select shows Humans, Namekians and Majins wearing Scouters. Design Akira Toriyama based the design of Saiyan scouters on Mitsuteru Yokoyama's 1956 manga Tetsujin 28-go. An antagonist character named Alberto had lost his right eye, and was wearing a metal patch that somewhat resembles the scouter in appearance, and also acted like a tracking and communication device. A device similar in design to the scouter also appears in the Blue Dragon series, whose characters were also designed by Toriyama. Trivia *In the Bridge Entertainment version of Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might, Turles refers to his scouter as a "portable computer". *Bulma is the only good character to use a scouter in the manga. Tarble also wears one, until it is blown up by Goku's power. Vegeta is also the only Z Fighter to have ever used a scouter. *The first and last power level read by a scouter in the manga was "5". First from a Farmer by Raditz, and then Future Trunks's suppressed power level by one of King Cold's men. This was the last time a Scouter was seen in the main series. *Scouters gave rise to one of the most popular internet memes: "It's Over 9000!". *''Star Fox'' characters Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, and Wolf O'Donnell occasionally wear devices that appear similar to scouters. *The anime and manga series Yu Yu Hakusho has devices similar to scouters, but they are handheld. They are used by the demons that serve Yomi and were used to measure the power levels for the 5 demons Jin, Chu, Rinko, Suzuki and Shishiwakamaru when they arrive at Yomi's palace. It is also used to read the power level for Kurama as well as that of Yomi's clone Shura during his growth development. *In Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal, the main protagonist Yuma wears a D-Gazer over one of his eyes, an eyepieces used to display duel monsters that resembles a scouter. *In the anime series Ultimate Muscle, there is a character named Bone Cold wore an eyepatch that can read a person's energy level, similar to the scouter. *In the online game Lost Saga, a Epic gear looks like a Scouter. *In the MMORPG game Maplestory, players can purchase an item called a scouter in the special store. It is an eyewear equipment item, but is just for looks. The eyepiece of the scouter is Pink. *In the game Scribblenauts, if a player were to type in "It's Over 9000", a scouter-like object would appear and could be worn on Maxwell's eye. It has no other purpose. *In the online game Wonderking, there is an accessory called the scouter, the eyepiece is red, and the description is "It's over 9000". *In the video game series WWE SmackDown! vs Raw, SvR 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, there is a head wear piece that closely resembles a scouter to be found in the Create-A-Superstar character creation mode. *In "Go, God Go", an episode from South Park, Otter army members are seen wearing scouters. *There is a show named The Amazing Spiez, where there are four kids working under Jerry's WOOHP wearing a green device, which is similar to a scouter. *The website Gaiaonline has an item that resembles a scouter, though its only an item to be equipped to your avatar. *Facebook game Ninja Trick has an item which strongly resembles scouter. It is called Galaxy Scanner and has a green eye component, which resembles the scouter's display. *In the game Epic Battle Fantasy 3, a character named Lance has a scouter and he notes that he got it from someone with a tail. See also *Ki Sense *List of power levels *Power Level *World Trade Organization de:Scouter Category:Objects Category:Power Levels